Illuminated Accessory

ABSTRACT

An illuminated accessory device provides a piece of jewelry to be illuminated. The invention relates to jewelry and includes but is not limited to rings, necklaces, and bracelets. The device may contain a power source, light source, switch, medium, object, wire or housing.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to jewelry and more particularly to illuminating jewelry such as rings, necklaces, earrings, bracelets, and other body ornaments.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

People use jewelry to accessorize, decorate, and even to draw attention to oneself. Having an illuminated jewelry only adds another dimension. As the fashion industry continues to change, the need to have a different element added to precious stones is present.

There exists a need for jewelry which allows for a light source to be included such that the jewelry with its precious stones or other ornamentation can be illuminated.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention addresses the above stated need by providing an illuminated accessory device which provides a user to illuminate jewelry with a light source. The illuminated accessory device includes a light source, housing, medium, object, power source, wire, and a switch. In one embodiment, the object that to be illuminated will be placed above the light source. When the power source supplies electricity to the light source, the object will light up.

It is an object of the invention to provide a device that illuminates jewelry. The illuminated accessory device may take the form of a ring, bracelet, or necklace. Also, the illuminated object may be a diamond, emerald, sapphire, ruby, or any other precious, semi-precious stone, or any material that is desired to be illuminated.

These and other objects of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Various objects, features, and attendant advantages of the present invention will become more fully appreciated as the same becomes better understood when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters designate the same or similar parts throughout the several views, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a ring with the illuminated accessory according to at least one aspect of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a circuit diagram for supplying power to a light source on the ring of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a bracelet with the illuminated accessory device according to another aspect of the invention.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a necklace with the illuminated accessory device according to another aspect of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

While the present invention has been described in connection with what is considered the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that the present invention is not to be limited to the disclosed arrangements, but is intended to cover various arrangements which are included within the spirit and scope of the broadest possible interpretation of the appended claims so as to encompass all modifications and equivalent arrangements which are possible.

Reference will now be made in detail to various exemplary embodiments of the invention. The following detailed description is presented for the purpose of describing certain embodiments in detail. The present invention may be further illustrated in the following figures, attention being called to the fact, however, that the embodiments described in the description and shown in the figures are illustrative only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention, and that changes may be made in the specific constructions described in this specification and accompanying drawings that a person of ordinary skill in the art will recognize are within the scope and spirit of the invention. The true scope of the invention is defined by the claims. Further, any features of any embodiment described herein are equally applicable to any other embodiment described herein or envisioned by one of ordinary skill in the art. The detailed description and figures provided herein should not be construed to exclude features otherwise described with respect to another embodiment.

Referring now to FIG. 1, an illuminated accessory device 102 is depicted. The device 102 may include a light source 110, a housing 120, a power source 130, a switch 140, an object 150, a wire 170 and a medium 160. As a non-limiting example, the medium may be a precious or non-precious metal, a necklace, bracelet or ring. Also, as a non-limiting example, the medium 160 as depicted in FIG. 1 is a ring. As a non-limiting example, the medium 160 may be made of gold, silver, platinum, or copper.

The illuminated accessory device 102 is used to illuminate a piece of jewelry. As a non-limiting example, the light source 110 may be a light emitting diode (LED). The light source 110 provides the illumination by projecting a light and when the light hits the object 150 it reflects in different patterns. Also, as a non-limiting example, the light source 110 may have a filter that is green, blue, red, orange, yellow, or purple which creates the desired color effect.

The housing 120 is located beneath the object 150 which houses the light source 110. The housing 120 is created by elongating prongs that attach the object 150 to the medium 160. These elongations create a space to place the light source 110. The light source 110 is operably connected to power source 130 to enable the light source to illuminate the object 150 by a wire 170.

Once light is projected through the object 150, the light takes on the characteristics of the particular object 150 including color and degree of reflection. The wire 170 is a simple medium to conduct electricity from the power source 130 to the light source 110 and may be embedded in the medium or not (as shown).

The switch 140 is used to turn the light source 110 on or off. As a non-limiting example, the switch 140 may be a button, a switch, or a touch pad. The switch 140 would allow the electric current to reach the light source 110 in order to illuminate the object 150. It may be attached to the power source 130 directly or may be located on any part of the illuminated accessory device 102.

The power source 130 is the housing wherein the power used to illuminate the object 150 is located. As a non-limiting example, the power source 130 may be a battery unit. It may also be a solar power collector or a unit that harnesses energy based on movement. It may be located beneath the ring, to the side of the ring or wholly included in the housing 120.

Referring to FIG. 2, a circuit 202 for supplying power to the illuminated accessory device 102 as shown in FIG. 1. The circuit 202 comprises a battery 210, a light source 250, and a switch 230. When the battery 210 is located within the power source 130, the circuit 202 is in a closed-loop, i.e., battery 210 is electrically coupled to light source 250. When the battery 210 has been placed inside the power source 130, the light source 250 will be turned on and will illuminate the object 150.

The battery 210 has two terminals, a + terminal and a − terminal. The light source 250 is coupled to the terminals of the battery 210 preferably by separate wires 220 and 240 for connecting to the cathode and anode of the light source 250. Each wire is preferably routed through a different portion of the housing 120.

Alternatively, as a non-limiting example, if the housing 120 is a conductive metal, one of the wires 220 or 240 can be eliminated by having the housing 120 provide one of the conducting paths between a terminal of the battery 210 and the light source 250.

The switch 230 may be engaged and would allow the electric current to flow from the power source 210 to the light source 250. When the switch 230 is disengaged, the circuit 202 is broken and the electric current would not flow, thereby preventing the object 150 from being illuminated.

Referring to FIG. 3 is a bracelet 302, an alternative embodiment of the illuminated accessory device 102 as shown in FIG. 1. The bracelet 302 comprises a power source 130, a light source 110, a housing 120, a wire 170, and a switch 140. As a non-limiting example, the medium may be a precious or non-precious metal and is a bracelet.

The light source 110 provides the illumination by projecting a light and when the light hits the object 310 it reflects in different patterns. Also, as a non-limiting example, the light source 110 may have a filter that is green, blue, red, orange, yellow, or purple which creates the desired color effect. As a non-limiting example, the object 310 may be diamonds, emeralds, sapphires, or rubies and may vary in numbers.

The housing 120 is located beneath the object 310 which houses the light source 110. The housing 120 is created by elongating prongs that attach the object 150 to the medium 160. These elongations of the prongs create a space to place the light source 110. The light source 110 is operably connected to power source 130 to enable the light source to illuminate the object 310 by a wire 170.

The power source 130 is the housing wherein the power used to illuminate the object 310 is located. As a non-limiting example, the power source 130 may be a battery unit. It may also be a solar power collector or a unit that harnesses energy. It may be located beneath the ring or to the side of the ring. Also, the power source 130 may be place at the bottom of the bracelet 302 or anywhere else the user wishes to place the power source 130.

Referring to FIG. 4 is a necklace 402, an alternative embodiment of the illuminated accessory device 102 as shown in FIG. 1. The necklace 402 comprises a power source 130, a light source 110, a housing 120, a wire 170, and a switch 140. As a non-limiting example, the medium may be a precious or non-precious metal and is a necklace.

The light source 110 provides the illumination by projecting a light and when the light hits the object 420 it reflects in different patterns. Also, as a non-limiting example, the light source 110 may have a filter that is green, blue, red, orange, yellow, or purple which creates the desired color effect. As a non-limiting example, the object 420 may be diamonds, emeralds, sapphires, or rubies and may vary in numbers.

The housing 120 is located beneath the object 420 which houses the light source 110. The housing 120 is created by elongating prongs that attach the object 420 to the medium 160. These elongations of the prongs create a space to place the light source 110. The light source 110 is operably connected to power source 130 to enable the light source to illuminate the object 420 by a wire 170.

The power source 130 is the housing wherein the power used to illuminate the object 420 is located. As a non-limiting example, the power source 130 may be a battery unit. It may also be a solar power collector or a unit that harnesses energy. It may be located beneath the ring or to the side of the ring. Also, the power source 130 may be place at the bottom of the necklace 402 or anywhere else the user wishes to place the power source 130.

While the present invention has been described in connection with what is considered the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that the present invention is not to be limited to the disclosed arrangements, but is intended to cover various arrangements which are included within the spirit and scope of the broadest possible interpretation of the appended claims so as to encompass all modifications and equivalent arrangements which are possible. 

I claim:
 1. An illuminating accessory device for illuminating a piece of jewelry that includes a decorative object, the device comprising: a light source; a housing to place said light source, wherein the housing is located adjacent to said decorative object and allows said light source to be wired thereby to enable said light source to illuminate said decorative object; a power source wherein said light source is connected; and a switch to allow the device to be turned on or off.
 2. The device of claim 1 wherein said light source illuminates in different colors.
 3. The device of claim 1 wherein the piece of jewelry is a necklace.
 4. The device of claim 1 wherein the piece of jewelry is a bracelet.
 5. The device of claim 1 wherein the piece of jewelry is a ring. 